Improvements in Medicare in California 2018

Medicare continues to offer seniors and people with disabilities flexibility and choices while providing high quality healthcare services. Whether through Original Medicare (Parts A and B), Medicare Advantage, or the prescription drug benefit (Part D), 5,941,514 beneficiaries in California continue to have access to the benefits that Medicare offers.

In California in 2018:

•266 Medicare Advantage plans are available

•97 percent of people with Medicare have access to a Medicare Advantage plan

•25 Medicare prescription drug plans are available

•84 percent of people with a Medicare prescription drug plan have access to a plan with a lower premium than what they paid in 2017

•35 percent of people with Medicare prescription drug plan get Extra Help (also called the low-income subsidy, or LIS)

•$19.70 is the lowest monthly premium for a Medicare prescription drug plan